INTERDISCIPLINARY COLLABORATION AMONG PHARMACISTS, PHYSICIANS, LABORATORY TECHNOLOGISTS, HEALTH INFORMATICS SPECIALISTS, AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATORS IN THE EARLY DETECTION AND MANAGEMENT OF DIABETES MELLITUS: A LITERATURE REVIEW

Abstract

Background: Diabetes Mellitus (DM) remains as one of the main causes of death and suffering all over the world. Screening, diagnosing and providing care in the right manner are still the biggest problems in case of DM although these factors are already accepted to be the main ones in causing morbidities and mortality, and the last gap in care continuum remains between knowing that managing patients’ conditions using proper medications and using no medications at all, in which the former dramatically improves the quality of life and prolongs the days. The interdisciplinary approach with team-based care involving pharmacists, physicians, laboratory technologists, health informatics specialists, and health administrators is increasingly recognized as the crucial means for both better outcomes and having efficient systems.

Aim: The aim of the present study is to conduct a thorough and constructive evaluation of the last literature regarding interdisciplinary cooperation in diabetes mellitus early diagnosis and management, with the focusing on the specific contributions of each discipline, collaborative mechanisms, and the health system facilitating factors.

Methods: A systematic review of literature was performed through PubMed and Google Scholar. The combination of utilizing Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) and free-text terms included “diabetes mellitus,” “interdisciplinary collaboration,” “team-based care,” and discipline-specific keywords. Only eligible peer-reviewed studies (English, 2020–2024) consisting of primary research, systematic reviews, meta-analyses and clinical guidelines reporting clinical, behavioral or organizational outcomes were included in the review.  

Results: The involvement of laboratory technologists guaranteed the correctness of the diagnoses and the speed of the test procedures for HbA1c and glucose. The health informatics experts facilitated the use of clinical decision support based on electronic health records and the screening of the entire population, thereby raising the rates of early detections by as much as 30%. The health administrators led the data-based quality enhancement, workflow synchronization, and resource distribution through their leadership. The most common restrictions included lack of clarity regarding the roles, siloed information systems, and unavailability of funds for team-based services.

Conclusions: The collaboration between different fields incorporating informatics has strengthened the early detection, improved the treatment, and allowed the continuity of DM management to be more efficient. However, if the implementation is to be sustainable, it will require the availability of standardized protocols, the existence of interoperable data systems, and institutional support.